Emergency Roof Repairs in Newmarket

How we handle emergency roof repairs

Emergency Roof Repairs in Newmarket

A roof that is actively leaking, has lost tiles in a storm or has a lifted ridge section is not a job to leave until a convenient time. Water inside the roof structure causes damage that builds up fast - wet timbers, soaked insulation and stained ceilings can follow within hours. Call as soon as you spot the fault so that a visit can be arranged.

How to Tell Whether a Leak Is Urgent

Not every drip is a crisis, but some signs mean you should act straight away. A wet patch appearing on the ceiling during or just after heavy rain, a ceiling that is sagging or has a visible bulge, or water running down an inside wall are all signs that a lot of water is getting in. A sagging or bulging ceiling is particularly serious - the weight of trapped water can bring a section of ceiling down without warning. Keep people out of that room and do not poke or prod the ceiling.

Missing or visibly slipped tiles, a section of ridge that has shifted, or lead flashing that has pulled away from a wall are faults that let water in whenever it rains. Even if the weather is dry when you spot them, they need attention before the next rainfall.

What to Do Safely in the Meantime

The most important rule is never go onto the roof yourself. A wet roof is extremely slippery, and working at height without the right equipment or training is dangerous. Leave the roof to the roofer.

Until a roofer has been out, there are safe steps you can take inside:

• Place buckets or bowls to catch drips and protect floors and belongings.
• Move furniture, rugs and valuables away from the wet area.
• Take photographs of every affected area, inside and out, noting the date and time. You will need them for any insurance claim.
• If water is near a light fitting, socket or switch, do not touch it. If your fuse box (consumer unit) is dry and you can reach it without going near the water, turn off the main switch. If it is wet or water is near it, leave it alone and call an electrician.
• If you can see from the ground that a gutter or downpipe is overflowing, mention it when the roofer rings back. A blocked outlet can turn a slow drip into a sudden flood inside. Do not climb a ladder to clear it.

Temporary Make-Safe Work

When a roofer comes out, the first step is often a temporary make-safe rather than a full repair. This usually means fixing a heavy-duty tarpaulin or temporary sheeting over the damaged area, secured so it will hold in wind. It stops more water getting in until the permanent repair can be done.

Whether temporary sheeting can be fitted depends on safe access. A slipped tile can often be reached with roof ladders. Larger areas, steep or high roofs, and damage close to a chimney may need a scaffold or scaffold tower, which adds to the cost. The extent of the damage, the type of roof and whether the work is temporary or permanent are the other main things that decide what the job will cost.

Common Emergency Faults on Pitched Roofs

On a pitched roof, a common emergency is a tile or slate that has slipped or broken. Plain clay tiles and slates are laid with a double overlap, so one missing piece does not leave a hole straight through, but it does let water reach the layer below and work its way in. Interlocking concrete tiles overlap only once, so a missing one leaves a gap down to whatever is underneath. Many pitched roofs, though not all older ones, have underlay beneath the tiles, so water coming through a gap lands on the battens and underlay rather than straight into the loft. A gap left long enough will still let water through to the rafters and the ceilings below.

Slates are nailed to the battens. When the nails corrode over time - a problem known as nail sickness - slates begin to slip out one by one. A single slipped slate can usually be refixed with a small metal clip.

Ridge tiles run along the top of the roof. On older roofs they are bedded in mortar, which cracks with age and frost. Newer roofs often use a dry-fix ridge system held with mechanical fixings instead. A loose ridge tile can shift or fall in wind, which is a danger to anyone below and leaves an opening at the highest point of the roof.

Lead flashing seals the joins where the roof meets a wall or a chimney stack. When it lifts or pulls away from the wall, water runs in behind it. Lead that has lifted can often be dressed back and pointed into the brickwork again. Lead that has cracked or split needs replacing.

Common Emergency Faults on Flat Roofs

Flat roofs on garages, extensions and bay windows are usually covered in felt or EPDM rubber. Felt can split at the joins or around outlet pipes, particularly after frost. EPDM is more flexible but can lift at the edges if the adhesive or the edge trim fails. Either fault lets water through into the room below. Water that sits on a flat roof long after rain points to a blocked outlet or a roof without enough fall, and it puts extra strain on every weak joint.

Blocked flat roof outlets and overflowing box gutters are a common cause of sudden leaks. Water that cannot drain away has nowhere to go but through the nearest weakness in the surface or the edge trim. Whether a patch will hold or the covering needs replacing depends on how widespread the damage is and how old the covering is.

What Is Checked After a Leak

Fixing the visible fault - replacing a tile, refixing the flashing, patching the membrane - is only part of the job. After a leak, the battens, underlay and roof timbers around the fault are checked as well. Timber that has been soaked again and again can start to rot, and torn or perished underlay needs replacing. Finding this early avoids bigger repairs later.

Storm Damage and Buildings Insurance

Storm damage to a roof is often covered by buildings insurance. Keep the photographs you took, note the date of the storm and keep receipts for any emergency work. Tell your insurer as soon as you can, ideally before any permanent repair is done, so they can arrange their own inspection if they want one.

An insurer can turn down a claim if it decides the main cause of the damage was wear and tear rather than the storm, and insurers usually judge whether there was a storm by the wind speed or rainfall recorded at the time. Check your policy and talk to your insurer. If a claim is refused and you disagree, you can complain to the insurer and then take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

What Happens When You Call Us

Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.

A roofer rings you back to talk through what you have described and arrange a visit to look at the damage. We cover Newmarket and the surrounding villages.

If something looks wrong, call us and let a roofer take a look.